From Chapter 1:

1956-1960: The Judgment of 8,000 People

1959

Only issues outside the control of Rochester leadership could throw a wrench into the plans for the 1959 season. One was a potential player strike. Over the off-season a union of International League players proposed a pension plan to league leadership. The IL directors rejected the plan in December, leading the players to issue the following incendiary statement: "unless the International League agrees in principle to establish a pension plan satisfactory to the players, all International League players will be requested not to sign International League contracts, not to report to spring training and not participate in any International League games in 1959."

The awkward structure of the minors continued to be a problem as the majors would not allow sweeping, but needed realignment. Instead the major league owners continued to try to force the IL to take two more franchises, in this case Charleston and Jacksonville. The minors remained at risk, with a doomsday prediction floating about that baseball could be gone in Rochester in three-to-five years if changes were not made. Even without a forced expansion the International League had problems, mainly with its franchises in Miami and Havana. The league developed an emergency plan to move the Cuban franchise if needed.

The IL players dropped their strike plans just prior to the start of spring training in March, instead filing a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court testing baseball's anti-trust status. As one of the New York-based teams, the Red Wings and Frank Horton were served summonses by the court. (The minor leagues took the threat seriously and with the press and major leagues in their corner, the players ultimately backed down.)

The youth movement made Wings' fans a little nervous at the outset of spring training. Frank Verdi was the only established Triple-A infielder in camp and the lone first baseman a 20-year-old rookie up from Class D ball. Five rainouts left the Wings behind in preparations, and when they finally played, the rookie-dominated lineup lost an 11-0 contest. The Cardinals shortly provided the expected help, sending down 10 players in one lump delivery toward the end of March.

With the acquisitions Manager Cot Deal called his team "potentially great." The Red Wings were loaded with size, speed and rookies. But for the most part youngsters were those adding the speed and the size, along with "exciting credentials."

The core of the rookie crop was a group that had played for the second place Houston club in Double-A. Joining outfielder Charlie James were second baseman Wally Shannon, outfielder Duke Carmel, third baseman Jimmy McKnight and pitcher Bobby Miller. Shannon (.290) was teamed with prized acquisition shortstop Billy Harrell, who spent the '58 season as a part-timer with the Cleveland Indians. Harrell was only adequate with the glove, but a proven .270 hitter in his previous Triple-A stints. Verdi or McKnight (.287, 77 RBI) would start at third, while the returning Gene Oliver was being converted full-time to first base and expected to be the hub of the offense.

Carmel, who hit .256 with Houston after his demotion from Rochester, was given another shot, this time in left field. James was handed the center field job, while right went to Jim Frey (.283 in Omaha; also the 1957 Southern Association batting champ at .336). The fourth outfielder was Class C graduate Al Herring. Tommy Burgess, one of the most popular players ever to wear a Rochester uniform, was gone in an off-season deal with Columbus. He closed out his six seasons in Rochester ranking second on the all-time franchise list with 93 home runs and fourth in RBI with 383. Coming over in the trade was catcher Dick Rand (.275, 12, 55), expected to be the number one receiver. He would, however, begin the season on the sidelines due to bursitis in his shoulder. Chuck Staniland, who hit .329 in Class A, would instead start.

In their search for pitching the Cardinals made an exception to their rule of youth. Rochester native Bob Keegan, 38, was given a look. Keegan, 40-36 in six years in the majors with the Chicago White Sox, including a no-hitter against the Washington Senators, seemed a good bet to stick with the Wings. He split the '58 campaign between Chicago and Triple-A Indianapolis.

Joining Keegan and Deal (still active) were Bobby Miller, Bill Greason, Cal Browning, Joe McClain, Dick Ricketts and Marshall Bridges. Greason, Ricketts and Browning spent the entire previous campaign in Rochester, the latter confidently predicting an end to the "jinx" that had haunted him over the second half. Miller and McLain both started 1958 with Rochester and ended in other cities; Miller went 8-11 in Houston while McLain won nine of 16 decisions in Denver. Bridges was 16-11, 3.69 for Sacramento and led the Pacific Coast League in strikeouts (205).

The team had six new starters and off a 6-12 exhibition record, local scribes were picking the Wings for fifth place. A younger team meant more stringent guidelines from Deal, who promised to rule with a "much firmer fist than ever before." The season began in Columbus, against ex-Wing Lynn Lovenguth. Browning got the nod for Rochester, but came up short as the Jets prevailed 6-3. Oliver slammed two out of the park the next night, resulting in six RBI, helping the Wings split the series with a 9-2 win. The team was met by a 35-car motorcade at the New York Central Railroad Station upon its return to Rochester.

Red Wing Stadium displayed its traditional pre-season paint job on Friday, April 17, with the added touch of yellow dugouts. There was also a new macadam surface inside the main gate. Fortunately the six-county area surrounding Rochester was given special dispensation from a nation-wide Civil Defense test. The sixth annual event was scheduled for 1:30, just as fans would be filling the park. The city was one of 10 areas in New York to be targeted for a simulated nuclear attack. At the sound of Civil Defense sirens, cars were required to pull over, pedestrians to take cover and workers go to designated shelters, all for a period of 10 minutes. Because of the game, Rochester's drill would be delayed until 6:30 p.m.

It was a wise move. A crowd of 15,092 jammed Red Wing Stadium, the excess once again placed behind ropes strung from dead center field to the right field corner. The Richmond manager complained about the setup, as the outfield crowd consisted mainly of "youngsters" who delayed the game several times as they darted back and forth across the outfield to the stands. The opposing skipper had further reason to complain. Down 1-0 late, the Wings tied the game due in great part to a 300-foot ground-rule double by Rand that rainbowed into the crowd in right. A one-out, bases-loaded sacrifice fly off the bat of McKnight provided the winning margin in the 10th.

The Red Wings announced the acquisition of experienced help the same day. George Wilson, 33, a holdout with Denver of the American Association, was purchased by the Cardinals and assigned to Rochester. The lefty outfielder hit .299 with 12 home runs in Denver despite the 360-foot right field line at Bears Stadium. He was, however, a proven power producer. He slammed 31 home runs in 1955 with Minneapolis and was the all-time American Association leader in four-baggers with 197. After surveying Red Wing Stadium's comparatively short right field porch, he brashly predicted he would hit 50 or more home runs. (He later modified his statement, saying he would merely lead the league.)

The Tropical Swing followed the short opening homestand and once again strange occurrences haunted the Wings. Bridges went on the sidelines with a recurrence of an arm injury, joined by Harrell, bothered by an old leg problem. The Wings left Havana without any practice balls, their supply snatched up by Cuban fans allowed on the field during pre-game warmups. In leaving Miami after the 3-5 trip, the plane carrying the Wings damaged a tire and its landing gear on take-off. The pilot was forced to jettison 5,000 gallons of fuel over the Everglades and make an emergency landing back at Miami's International Airport after 55 minutes in the air. The Rochester traveling party was understandably shaken by the incident.

The Red Wings continued to dip into the league's second division in early May. The only highlight was the May 4 exhibition against the Cardinals. St. Louis prevailed 10-4 with six runs in the 12th, in front of 7,850 fans. The next day President Horton was named to a joint major/minor league television committee by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick. The committee was charged with developing a formula for financial aid to the minors through television money, since major league franchises were realizing revenues from their broadcasts into minor league territories.

Montreal came into town in mid-May for an interesting four-game set. In the first game, a 13-4 Rochester victory, Frey hit three home runs and tallied seven RBI. After his third home run in the eighth, the next hitter, Oliver, was plunked by the Royals' hurler. Deal charged the mound and grappled with the pitcher, resulting in a free-for-all. Deal was thrown out (and later fined); he was likewise ejected the following night in the seventh inning of a 5-3 loss arguing a base runner interference decision. By the last games of the series, a doubleheader, seven Red Wings were out with the flu, including four starters. Another had to leave during the first game. Staniland likewise suffered but was forced to catch both games. Deal was unavailable, not due to the flu, but a sore rib from his impromptu wrestling match. Trainer Jim Dudley was also affected by the illness, but was nonetheless able to give a mass inoculation of penicillin shots in the clubhouse after the game.

The ailing players quickly recovered, but the sickly Wings made moves anyway. Duke Carmel, still unable to hit Triple-A pitching (.175), was assigned to Tulsa. Hurler Lloyd Merritt was added, replacing reliever Jim Donohue. A bid was made for Luscious (his real first name) Luke Easter, released by Buffalo after one of his notorious slow starts (.179, 1 HR). The massive first baseman was coming off three productive seasons in Buffalo - 35, 40 and 38 home runs, over 100 RBI each season - twice leading the league in home runs and RBI. (He had likewise been productive at the major-league level. Earlier in his career he put together seasons of 28, 27, 31 home runs for the Indians, including a mammoth 477-foot blast that was the longest ever hit at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. Despite his numbers, the enormously popular Easter was cut, due to his age, his IL-high $11,000 salary and the highly-touted prospect sitting behind him. The Wings offered to sign him - at a reduced salary - dependent on the Cardinals' approval of the shift of Gene Oliver (league-leading eight home runs) back to the outfield.

The 6' 4" 235-lb. Easter, who claimed a dubious and unproven birth date of Aug. 4, 1921, was signed on May 16 and designated to play first base against right-handed pitching. Third baseman Jim McKnight was cut to make room on the roster.

The gentlemanly first sacker was a great gate attraction, but on the day of his signing he took the back seat to Marshall Bridges. The hard-luck pitcher, saddled with a deceptive 1-3 record, tied a team record with 16 strikeouts in a 4-2 win at Toronto. He became the third Rochester pitcher to retire that many batters on strikes in a single game, joining William Calihan versus London, Ontario in 1888, and Walter Beall against Newark in 1924.

Easter went 6-for-10 in his first three games and the Wings climbed back to the .500 mark at 18-18, in fourth place, 3 1/2 games from the top. Easter's first Rochester home run came on May 24 against Havana. It was a typical Easter tape-measure shot, striking the catwalk of the light standard some 100 feet in the air above the 345-foot mark in right field. It was not long before low, drawn-out cries of "L-u-u-u-u-u-u-k-e" reverberated on Norton Street as number 36 strolled to the plate.

The arrival of Easter and an extended visit by Cardinal batting coach and Hall of Famer Paul Waner spurred on the power production. The first baseman, president of the Luke Easter Sausage Co., promised to donate five pounds of his product to every Wing hitting a home run. The spectacled Jim Frey was already a pleasant surprise, hitting six out of the yard after tallying only four in all of 1958. In a late-May game against the Maple Leafs, Easter and Harrell hit solo homers in the ninth inning to tie a game against Toronto; two days later Harrell had two home runs against Miami.

The league was tightly bunched and as the Wings slowly climbed above .500 they also inched closer to the top spot. A May 31 win against Toronto gave the Wings a 7-3 homestand, Keegan his seventh win against one loss, and a first place tie with Buffalo.

Chemistry that seemed to be mixing successfully was disrupted on an early-June road trip. (While away from Rochester the Indianapolis Clowns, billed as the "world's colored champions" played an exhibition baseball game versus the Georgia Flyers on June 5 at Red Wing Stadium.) Gene Oliver and Marshall Bridges were recalled to St. Louis, with the Wings to receive Gene Green (C/OF), Chuck Essegian (OF) and left-handed pitcher Bill Smith. Neither of the promoted players had been tearing up the league - Oliver went up with a .250 average while Bridges was 3-3 - and there were those who wondered if the Cardinals were pushing the panic button. A week later Dick Ricketts (2-5) was on his way to St. Louis as well, with fellow pitcher Howie Nunn coming in his place. Infield injuries (catcher Rand and outfielder James had been seen at second base) forced another addition, that of Ron Kabbes from Tulsa. A strong glove man, he was placed at shortstop, freeing up Harrell for other infield spots. His was a fortunate and timely acquisition, as less than week after he joined the squad the .300-hitting Verdi was beaned and hospitalized. Verdi was there for nearly a week, suffering from a concussion and the resulting headaches and blurred vision.

Essegian hit four home runs in his first week and Easter continued to warm up from his slow start. Green was "disgusted" with the demotion, but kept it from showing in his performance on the field. The team climbed to stand second in the league in home runs, but the moves were not yet done. Less than two weeks after his demotion, Essegian, along with reliever Lloyd Merritt, was shipped to the Dodgers' organization. With an open roster spot, pitcher Bob Blaylock was added from Omaha. Following a strong first-half performance for Rochester in 1956 that earned him a (some said premature) promotion to St. Louis, Blaylock had slumped. After his 4-10 season for the Wings in '57, he went 8-14 for Omaha in '58 (but with a league-leading 193 Ks) and had a 3-5 mark for the current season.

A return to form by Blaylock would give the Wings a very solid staff. Former John Marshall High star Keegan was the unsung hero of the first half of the season. He won nine of his first 10 decisions, with a 2.84 ERA. Browning matched him with his ninth win a week later, while Miller had a 2.89 ERA to go with his deceptive 6-7 record. On June 24 the Wings began a stretch of 21 home games in 17 days. His squad in third place, 1 1/2 games back from first, Manager Deal felt he had the pitching and hitting and needed only to tighten the defense in order to be a legitimate contender.

Keegan became the league's first 10-game winner during the homestand and Verdi returned to the field, but bullpen woes hampered the team. GM Sisler promised to acquire a reliever for his team, which was in desperate need of established bullpen talent. One was expected from the Cardinals, but Sisler was determined to get another one in a deal of his own.

The first place Buffalo Bisons came to town in early July. The Wings took three of four, including a doubleheader sweep in front of 10,461. On the same day the Cardinals continued to tinker with their roster, taking up second baseman Shannon and sending to Rochester a pair of youngsters that had been riding the pine in St. Louis: shortstop Lee "Willie" Tate and center fielder Bobby Gene Smith. Both were All-Stars with Omaha in 1958, with Smith the team's most valuable player.

Charlie James had a 17-game hit streak, but despite his heroics, which upped his average to .319, the Wings could only go 11-9 during the stint at Red Wing Stadium, leaving them trailing Buffalo by a game. The squad would turn around from its longest homestand of the season to a five-city, three-nation, 17-day, 21-game road trip.

The pitching began to falter at the tail end of the team's stay in Rochester and continued to slide on the road. Down to eight throwers, a rainout forced the squad to play 11 games in seven days. Sisler said deals for pitching were "in the hopper," but also blamed mental and physical miscues for the streak that had seen his team lose five consecutive games and drop to fourth place. Sisler did manage to acquire right-handed reliever Tommy Hurd from Minneapolis. The 35-year-old Hurd, who spent all of '54-'56 with the parent Boston Red Sox, had a 2-4 mark for the season, after a 10-8, 1.65 pitching line with the Millers in '58.

The slide continued. Deal's squad dropped nine of the first 10 games on the trip to fall under .500 and in danger of dropping into the second division. After a period of experimentation Deal claimed his infield set with a configuration that had Verdi at third, Harrell at shortstop and Tate at second. Yet two days later 1958 hero Johnny O'Brien was re-acquired and placed at second, shifting Tate to shortstop and platooning Verdi and Harrell at third base. Kabbes, the odd man out, was sent down. Other remedies were tried: one time 20 players took vitamin injections before a game against Miami. The Wings scored seven runs in the first inning that night en route to a 12-4 win, but the next eveing returned to their losing ways in Havana, dropping into fifth place behind the Cubans.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro pitched two innings for the Barbados (Bearded Ones) Army team in a two-inning preliminary game that evening. His appearance was one of the many activities scheduled to celebrate the "July 26 Movement," the official name for the Castro-led Cuban revolt of the previous year.

As the clubs took the field on the evening of July 25, they first had to finish a game suspended from an earlier date. Havana scored a run in the ninth to take the contest 1-0. In the regularly-scheduled game the Wings took a 3-1 lead into the eighth. But the Cubans knotted the score in the ninth, pushing the game into extra innings and carrying the contest over into the morning of July 26. As the midnight hour struck the game was halted as everyone rose for the Cuban national anthem, while "tommy gun chattering and rockets blaring off" were heard inside and outside the stadium. There were estimates of 50-75 soldiers haphazardly firing their weapons - pistols, rifles and sub-machine guns - inside the stadium; in all approximately 1,000 rounds were estimated to have been spent. One soldier was seen squeezing the trigger of his automatic pistol directly in front of the visiting dugout, the bullets spraying in the dirt just feet away from the nervous Red Wing players.

The umpires debated calling the game at that point, with the Wings ahead 4-3 after a Harrell home run in the top of the 10th, but decided not to risk the wrath of the 5,000 keyed-up fans. The first Havana player in the bottom of the inning blooped a pitch down the left field line. Deal, in the visiting first base dugout, watched the Cuban runner miss first base and came out to appeal the call. The ump, who had properly moved to second base and could not have seen the runner miss the bag, refused Deal's request to ask the home plate umpire for help on the call. Against his better judgment, he would later admit, and despite the rancorous atmosphere in the stadium, the livid Deal vehemently argued with the arbiter, closing his discussion by giving him the choke sign. The umpire responded with a sign of his own - the thumb - and Deal was ejected. He handed over the reigns to Verdi.

The Cuban runner ended up crossing the plate, bringing the Wings back to bat in the top of the 10th. Verdi came out to take Deal's place in the third base coaching box. While warm-ups were still taking place (amid continued sporadic gun shots both inside and outside the park) Verdi suddenly wobbled and grabbed his head. A stray bullet had struck him in the head. Fortunately he was still wearing the rubber and plastic batting liner in his cloth cap. The .45 caliber slug tore through his hat, hitting him just above his ear, but the liner had prevented the bullet from doing anything more than breaking the skin. Verdi was quickly surrounded by players and coaches. A few minutes later, when Cuban shortstop Len Cardenas suffered a flesh wound in his shoulder due to another errant projectile, the Wings walked off the field. The conscious Verdi walked into the clubhouse on his own power, "cursing everything from Castro, to sugar cane, to blackjack dealers."

Deal, who later mused that his ejection may have saved his life (as manager he had no call to wear the cap liner), refused to play the next day. Cuban ballclub officials and representatives of Castro huddled with the Red Wing party in the Hotel Nacional, trying to convince Deal and Sisler otherwise. IL boss Shaughnessy, from Montreal, said it was Rochester's decision. Horton, on vacation at Old Forge, NY, was finally reached and "instructed" Deal and Sisler via phone not to play. With some needed assistance from the U.S. Embassy to cut customs' red tape, the Wings' travel party took two flights at 7 and 8 p.m. to Miami later that day. Havana club officials abruptly changed their tactics, the president of the club accusing the Wings of running out due to their losing streak. The general manager said he would not make up the games in Rochester (it was the Wings' last appearance in Cuba that season) and would possibly demand forfeiture of the games.

The "Dealmen" finished 4-14 on the road trip and a return to American soil proved no tonic for the struggling team. Richmond was next in at Red Wing Stadium and a 6-2 loss dropped the squad into last place. Two more losses stretched the losing streak to five games. Keegan snapped the skid on the last day of July, ending a month that saw the Wings go 11-22-1.

The squad was in last, to be certain, yet still within 2 1/2 lengths of a playoff spot. But the boo-birds were out in force at Norton Street, with the Red Wing skipper the primary target. After opening the month of August with an 8-7 loss to Columbus, Deal resigned as manager in a dramatic and charged post-game meeting with Sisler and Horton. Deal announced his decision minutes before midnight, after his clubhouse had drained of his players. He was quitting, he stated, "for the best interest of the club, the franchise and for myself." It was not a hasty decision, said Deal, revealing that he had offered his resignation to Sisler five days prior. At that time Sisler rejected the idea, but left it open to be discussed when Horton and Cardinal officials were next in town. Deal departed with his club in the cellar, courtesy of its 53-59 record.

Speculation as to his replacement centered among those in the Cardinal organization, among them former Red Wing manager Harry Walker. The Red Wings moved quickly, however, and went outside the organization to select Clyde Edward King, the pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds. (It was reversal of procedure; the Red Wings named the manager with St. Louis' approval, rather than the Cardinals making the selection dependent on Rochester's approval.) It ended up more or less being a swap, as Deal was named as King's replacement in Cincinnati. Before his departure the ex-manager clarified his widely-quoted "city of wolves" comment, explaining that he did not mean the statement as a blanket indictment of Rochester fans, but that there were "wolves here as there are in any town."

Despite the public complaints about Deal's managing, the local scribes opined that the fans blamed the Cardinals, not Deal, for the failing squad. There were also those that admitted that Deal was too loose with his players. That style made him popular with his players, but his unwillingness to crack down led to his departure.

If discipline could right the sinking ship, King was the man. He was a veteran of seven years of pitching at the major league level, mostly in Brooklyn, and at age 34, had already managed three seasons in the minors, most recently with Columbus in 1958. He was described as an "aggressive individualist," and neither drank, smoke or cursed. A disciplinarian who didn't hesitate to use fines to get his message through, he quickly banned visitors in the clubhouse and beer after the game. His new deal reportedly made him the minor's highest paid manager.

Keegan lost both games in his short stint as interim manager. King took over on Aug. 3 with a team just three games out of a playoff spot despite winning only five of its last 28 games. He set his infield for the stretch run: Harrell at third, Tate at short, O'Brien at second and Easter, with a team-leading 15 home runs, at first. Dick Ricketts, 1-6 in his stint with the Cards, was demoted and put back in the Rochester rotation.

The Red Wings took six of their first eight games under King and climbed from the cellar. But injuries stifled any momentum. Centerfielder Bobby Smith, who had provided great defense since joining the team, broke a bone in his hand diving for a ball. Rand was out with jammed finger, O'Brien a sore hand and Verdi suffering another bout of headaches and dizziness.

James, picked to the All-Star team that would play against Pittsburgh in Columbus on Aug. 27, was moved to center field, Frey to left, and Wilson, who had complained of a lack of playing time, was placed in right. Wilson responded with a three home run game on Aug. 18 against Montreal; unfortunately his four RBI were the sole tallies in a 14-4 drubbing.

To fill the hole left by Rand, the Wings received 17-year-old catcher James Timothy McCarver from the Class D Midwest League. The left-hand-hitting receiver was the year's most sought after scholastic player, earning a $75,000 bonus to sign with the Cards. He was hitting a league-leading .360 with Keokuk, Iowa, just two months after his high school graduation in Memphis, where he was the captain of his school's baseball, basketball and football squads.

In his first week at Triple-A he was behind the plate for all seven games, rapping out 13 hits for a .394 pace. Despite his boost and the efforts of Keegan, trying to lead the league in wins (snubbed, however, for the All-Star game), the Wings made no serious charge at the final playoff spot. The home season closed out with a doubleheader split against Havana in the two makeup games. Attendance ended up at 251,231 in 79 dates, down 14,030 from the previous season. The Wings finished with a home record of 40-39.

The team closed in Montreal and King, already signed for the 1960 campaign, sent a message for the next season. Green, who had been added to the all-star team as a substitute, and Nunn were suspended for the final three days of the season without pay for "their condition and conduct" on the post-midnight plane flight from Rochester to Montreal. Beer and drinks had been consumed during a delay in take-off and the two roommates had been heard making "loud, boisterous and uncalled-for remarks" during the flight. King did, however, allow that the pair could rejoin the team if they asked for reinstatement in "proper manner and attitude."

Keegan hurled a two-hitter in the opener for his 17th win and the next night (with Green and Nunn, who apologized) the Wings split a doubleheader, the one loss officially eliminating the team from a playoff spot. Keegan returned to the mound on the season's last day and won his 18th, tops in the circuit. James had a bunt single in his first at-bat and promptly left the game with his season average over the .300 mark.

The team finished with a record of 74-80, in fifth place, 15 1/2 games from the top and two lengths back of a playoff spot. In 37 games under King's tutelage, the team had won 20. Offensively the squad finished fourth in hitting (.263) and tied for second in home runs (126). Charley James was named Rookie of the Year off of his .300, 18, 79 season and led a logjam of double-figure home run hitters: Gene Green (.305, 19, 71), Jim Frey (.291, 11, 41), George Wilson (.272, 12, 34), Billy Harrell (.264, 17, 69) and the departed Wally Shannon (.295, 12, 50). Ancient Luke Easter topped them all, hitting 21 home runs as a Red Wing, 22 total, to go with a .261 average (he hit .272 in 122 games with Rochester) and 76 RBI. Tim McCarver had eight RBI and a .357 average in his 17 games. Injuries cooled Dick Rand after his a fast start and he finished at .245 with only three homers. (That deal was prominently second-guessed, as Tommy Burgess hit 28 out of the yard for Columbus.)

Bob Keegan was the undisputed ace of the staff. At 18-10, he led the league in wins, starts (31), innings (23) and was 10th in ERA at 3.04. Cal Browning won 13 games, but lost 11 and had a fat 4.89 ERA. Bob Miller (8-12, 3.50, spent the last month in St. Louis), Bill Smith (9-7, 3.82) and Howie Nunn (8-9, 3.82) all posted similar average numbers. Joe McClain (3-8) and Dick Ricketts (6-10) were disappointments.
More than anything else, the bullpen hurt the 1959 Wings. The offensive losses of Shannon, Gene Oliver and Chuck Essegian hurt, but the staff had neither depth nor a legitimate stopper. Marshall Bridges seemingly had the potential to fill that role, but after his June recall no one stepped forward. GM Sisler, who along with assistant Eddie Bastian were re-hired in late September, promised wholesale changes for 1960. He predicted that no more than three regulars would return.

Between his moves and those of the parent club, by the end of the calendar year his prediction looked solid. No players had been drafted by a major league team (including Keegan, who Sisler thought might have value above the $25,000 price), but Dick Rand, Bobby Gene Smith, Frank Verdi and Gene Green were all traded or sold from the organization.

Sisler had other business to take care of in the off-season. On Sept. 21 he turned over a $15,000 check from RCB, leaving only $25,000 of the $175,000 originally borrowed in 1957 left to be repaid. Three days later the Wings agreed to renew the working agreement with the Cardinals, this time for three years. St. Louis was pulling out of Omaha, leaving Rochester as its sole Triple-A club. The development would put Rochester in its strongest position, in terms of available talent, in perhaps its entire history.

In December, Frank Horton was re-elected president of Rochester Community Baseball. The big picture was optimistic: the club was almost debt-free, the Wings would be the Cardinals' sole Triple-A affiliate and the franchise made their first profit, a modest $3,935.42.

Copyright © 1997 Brian A. Bennett. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system - except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper - without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, please contact Triphammer Publishing, P.O. Box 45, Scottsville, NY 14546-0045.